William Grant’s has won ‘best Christmas Drinks ad’ of 2020 at the celebrated Fake Booze awards – the first time the company has ever won a ‘Santa’.
‘Warney’ traces the story of a lonely bottle of advocaat as he trudges through the snow in search of a home.
After being rejected by a gay couple, an African family and three student nurses, he finally collapses on the doorstep of an average semi. There he’s taken in by a lonely child who adopts him and learns how to drink alcohol for the first time.
The winning ad was praised by the judges for being ‘proudly old-fashioned’, ‘yellow’ and ‘incredibly sweet’.
‘We wanted something that was both modern and timeless,’ said William Grants’ head of marketing, Glenda Fiddich. ‘That whole ‘outcast seeks friend, child makes friend, child gets inappropriately drunk’ scenario really captures the spirit of Christmas for lots of people.’
But behind the touching storyline there is a more serious message: that people should use this special time of year to put aside their prejudices and open their hearts to products that you could stand a spoon up in.
‘People don’t realise how incredibly versatile a drink advocaat is,’ said Fiddich. ‘It’s not just about adding lemonade.
‘You can make Snowballs with it as well.’
